Sleep, kid
by chambsie
Summary: Oneshot. One night Gaara meets a girl in a hospital that helps him sleep. Implied romance but not really there yet. GaaraxOC


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters or places. Just my own character and plot.**

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"Hello?"

The soft, gentle voice drifted up from the window below him. Gaara was unsure whether it was actually talking to him and was even more wary when it spoke again.

"Would you like to come in?"

No one who knew who he was would ever invite him into their home let alone their room. Granted this was a hospital room and not a private bedroom. The hospital was one of the best places to sit at night since it boasted a spacious roof and was one of the tallest buildings in Sunagakure. Even though it was not the first time Gaara had used the space, it was the first time someone had talked to him.

Gaara was about to transport away when the demon in his body spoke, _You brat, get in the room. I want to see her._ Indeed, the voice did sound like it belonged to a female. He had the urge to transfer somewhere else just to spite the demon but this was the first time the beast had asked Gaara to do anything other than kill or sleep so Gaara quietly used his sand to carry him into the room.

A young girl was sitting up in the hospital bed when he arrived. She was smiling faintly and not scared as he had expected. She looked thin under the covers, not a sickly thin but not athletic either. Her hair went to her chest with bangs hiding half her eyes. Her pink lips opened again. "Aren't you a big sweetie. Come sit by me." She patted the side of her bed.

Now Gaara was wondering whether this was the ward for the mentally ill. Anyone who saw him would not describe him as either big or sweet. Still he did not leave but neither did he move forward towards her. She said one more word, sounding lonelier, "Please?"

The voice in his head made itself known again. _Come on, kid. What's the worst that can happen? I want a closer look at her._

Gaara hesitated, he too was curious but he also didn't want to give in to the raccoon so easily.

The girl used the hand that had been patting to instead smooth an invisible wrinkle. "Are you leaving?" She had turned her head towards that hand and was not looking at him anymore.

Gaara stepped forward in answer.

 _A little closer, kid. I want to confirm something._ Gaara moved until he was right beside the area she was stroking. She looked up at him. That's when he saw that her eyes had that unfocussed look that indicated blindness. When he was still silent, she looked down again.

"Do you want to sit?" She moved her hand to her lap and shifted in the bed to give him more room not that she needed to. She hardly took up any space in the bed and it was not as if he himself was very big.

 _Sit,kid! Get closer ._ The voice was starting to annoy him but he obediently sat. One leg remained on the floor while the other was bent and resting on the bed with its foot propped on the opposite thigh. His body was facing the wall she sat against and he turned his head slightly to face her. Her smile widened. Even though she could not see, she still turned her head accurately so she was looking towards his face. She reached out a hand. Gaara immediately shot his sand up to wrap around her wrist about to break it.

 _Kid, don't do it!_ The sand loosened and she froze sensing the killing intent but she still did not retract her hand.

"May I touch you?" There was a pause as neither of them spoke. "I promise not to do anything inappropriate." A blush rose to her cheeks.

 _Let me out, kid. I promise not to kill anyone and I'll even immediately go back in when you wake up. Don't you want to sleep? I'll let you rest tonight without anything happening. I promise._

Gaara did not understand what was happening. His demon usually asked to be let out but had never promised control so sincerely before. The girl's hand started to shake from holding the same position for too long. He commanded his sand to gently push it down. She took that as a rejection of her request and once again looked away from him.

Gaara continued to listen to his demon as it tried once again to persuade him. It was true that he wanted to rest but he did not trust the old beast. The raccoon was calmer than usual. Not as restless. Finally Gaara agreed to a partial release. He let some of his body form into the demon's features. After the transformation he took up more of the bed. He expected the girl to finally show fear but he was again disappointed. His body had the ears, eyes, hands, feet, and tail of the demon. It was fortunate that she could not see because the sight was not pretty.

 _Let her touch me._

Gaara circled his sand around her wrist again and lifted it. She did not resist as he guided it towards his tail, the softest part of the demon. When she was within reach of it he made the sand let go and her hand dropped right into the fur. Her hand twitched and she sighed. She stroked the fur similar to the way she stroked the bed earlier. Truthfully, it did not feel bad. Her touch was quite soothing. From her emanated a feeling or tranquility that made him feel more content than he had in too long. Her strokes became longer. His demon became calmer. And Gaara became sleepier.

She sighed again, looking quite happy to just be touching his tail. Gaara moved so he was sitting next to her at the headboard. Her hand had hovered between them during his transition so he moved his paw under it so she could pet that instead. She did, tracing the individual claws and his whole arm up to where his human skin remained. Goosebumps rose. If the pesky raccoon could purr, he would be doing so quite noisily. The continuous up and down of her hand over his limb was hypnotic. His eyes fell more with each stroke. Before he knew it, he was slumped and sleeping peacefully for the first time in his life.

When he woke up, the sun was making its way up, casting the sky with orange hues. His head was on a pillow and his arm was being hugged by someone. The demonic features were already gone, returning to his human ones. He felt well-rested and a little surprised the demon had kept his promise. There was no fresh smell of blood on him and the world outside was not in chaos about a demon attack. Gaara continued to lie on his back, staring at the ceiling. He still did not understand the effect of the girl on him and his non-human side.

He turned his head to look at her. She lay on her side but was not using a pillow, her head was flat on the mattress with no support but she did not look uncomfortable. Her hair fell over her cheek onto the arm she was hugging with both of hers. The contrast between her dark hair and his pale skin was prominent even with so little light. He studied her until the sun was higher and he heard noises outside her door. He softly slipped his arm from her grasp and disappeared as the door opened. The girl opened her eyes and turned towards the nurse that was checking her condition.

"Honey, it's not good for your neck to sleep without a pillow."

"Mmm," Momo gave a sleepy reply. "May I have an extra one?"

"It's also not good for your neck to have your pillow too high," said the nurse.

"They're not both for me to sleep on." Technically that was true. If her wish came true then the second pillow would be for her guest to sleep on not herself. The hospital had strict visiting hours and would not be happy to know she had a late night visitor.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

After the nurse left, Momo began to think about last night. She had been reminiscing about her family. It was almost a year now since she lost them. When the loneliness had been nearing its peak, she sensed a presence above her. She could tell it was human but there was also a separate animalistic one.

She remembered the pets she used to care for in her old home. She had always had an affinity for animals and brought home many strays to nurture. Her invitation to the person was an impulse born from her loneliness. It was only when they were in the room did she realize the animal was not an ordinary companion to the human, but actually a part of them. That they were able to contain such a powerful beast spoke of their control.

Petting the soft fur brought a sense of nostalgia. Even though she did not know what kind of animal it was, the sleekness was comforting. As promised, she did not touch anywhere inappropriate but she could tell that her guest was a boy. He had not spoken the whole time he was with her but that did not ruin the mood. For that whole night, she touched only his paw and tail. When he had fallen asleep she helped shift him down to her pillow and briefly touched his head which felt human except for his ears. She didn't want to stop, but her eyes became heavy and she could no longer resist the pull of sleep.

When she had woken up, she was not surprised to see that he had left. He was not an open person. She was surprised he had even sat down when she asked. If he came again tonight, she would definitely ask his name. She did not know anybody in Sunagakure. She had only been passing by when her head started to ache and her vision deteriorated. She was trying to find Tsunade in order to ask for help but it seems that that would be impossible now that she could only see vague forms.

Thinking so, Momo was restless for the whole day. She went through the usual check-ups and walked a little to exercise her muscles but the areas she could go were limited as her eyes were becoming more useless.

After receiving a large blow to the head during the assault that killed her family, Momo's eyesight had started getting worse. On occasion she would also experience severe headaches that left her weak. The doctors she consulted were unable to help and guessed that she would lose her sight completely by the end of the year. Currently she was still able to make out vague shapes but even those were starting to blur together. The headaches, however, were becoming more frequent hence her hospital stay.

When night finally came, she tidied up her bed the best she could, placing the extra pillow carefully beside her own and fluffing it up.

She waited and waited until she knew it was past the time he had come last night. She did not hold on to much hope since that was the first time they had met. She hadn't even asked if he would come back so he had no obligation to her to visit again. She sighed and lay down, hugging the extra pillow to her chest. She missed being surrounded by animals. If she was not losing her sight, she would have continued her family's animal clinic on her own.

Finally she could not stay up any longer and fell into a fitful sleep.

The next night there was no change. She waited and waited and still no one appeared in her room. Or even on the roof.

Three days had passed since Gaara first encountered the girl. His demon pestered him about going to her but he resisted. There was no guarantee that if he fell asleep again his demon would not permanently take over. But the three days were long, and with the demon's constant chattering, Gaara became tired. He felt more tired than when he had not slept. He gave in and went to her room.

She was sitting up in her bed with an extra pillow hugged to her body. When he arrived, her forlorn expression changed to one of delight.

"You're back." She shifted to one side of the bed and placed the pillow beside her. "Come sit."

Gaara had only planned to see her and not let her touch him lest he sleep but he truly was tired and her aura was the only thing that helped him relax.

 _Kid, let me out._ Gaara allowed a partial transformation again. This time only his hands and tail since she would not be touching his head and feet anyway.

He sat beside her, leaning against the headboard. Her hand came forward and he had to stop his sand from automatically reacting. Her hand found his tail lying between them and started their steady stroking again. Once more Gaara could feel his eyes become heavy with fatigue.

 _Nothing will happen tonight, kid. Sleep._

Even without the demon's reassurance, Gaara did not think he could have stayed awake but with it he didn't fight against the pull.

And so for the next few days, a boy would appear in a girl's hospital room and stay until the sun rose. The girl would pet the tail of the boy until he fell asleep before also closing her own eyes. Few words were spoken. In fact, the boy still had not said one.

On the night of the full moon, he appeared as usual but the air surrounding him was wilder. Even the nearness of the girl did not calm the raccoon as it often did. Gaara held tight to his control and did not dare do even a partial transformation. She was already sitting to the side when he arrived but he had already decided not to stay. There would be nothing for her to touch and he knew what she liked was animal fur. He had only visited to see if she had an effect during a full moon but seeing that she did not he was about to leave when she spoke.

"Is something wrong?" When he did not immediately approach, she knew he would not be staying tonight. She wondered if it had something to do with the killing intent she could feel coming from him. "Are you leaving already?" She did not want to be alone tonight and she did not think it was safe for him to be alone either. "Can you take me with you?"

Since coming to Sunagakure, she had only seen the hospital. If this was to be her permanent home, she wanted to see whatever she could of it before her world turned completely dark.

There was no movement from him. She did not expect him to carry her or anything but she knew he commanded sand. After a while, she quietly spoke again. "Never mind. Will you come back tomorrow?"

She heard the quiet movement of sand as it surrounded her. She was gently lifted from her bed and brought to his side. The sand enveloped them completely and when it opened again they were outside. With the moon high above them casting everything in a luminous glow, she was able to just make out the buildings closest to them.

She breathed deeply having not felt fresh air in too long. Her companion next to her remained silent. He sat down and she followed suit. His aura was still feral but not as much as before.

With the combination of the girl near him and the openness of sitting outside, Gaara felt that his demon was not as restless as usual. Being cooped up in a room was never comfortable for Gaara which was why he often chose to sit outside.

 _Kid, do you know why she's special? She has the spirit of the mythical beast tamer. One hasn't been seen since before even I was born. She has the power to tame even the worst of us with just words._

For Gaara, this was enough to explain why he could relax only with her. He sighed. Seeing her shiver, he made his sand bring over a blanket from a chair inside her room. The desert's temperature dropped to very low degrees when night fell. Since she was not native to the area, she would not be used to it yet.

"Thank you." She wrapped herself more properly in the blanket. This atmosphere was nice. Although she could not see much, the moon was large enough that she could appreciate its beauty and his company had already become familiar enough that there was no awkwardness. When enough time had passed for her eyes to start drooping, he, without a word, transported her back to her bed.

The next few nights followed the same routine as the nights before the full moon. Gaara would go to her room and rest before leaving in the morning. His family did not know of his nightly habit. And he did not want to tell them since he knew his father would want to take advantage of her abilities with beasts. His power-hungry father would use her to control all the tailed demons in this world. With her impaired vision she wouldn't even be able to run and as an outsider, there was no one here to help her. Gaara did not think of this as caring for someone. It was more that he hated his father, the Kazekage, enough to not want to give him an advantage. Family for him was not everything. After the betrayal of his uncle and the plots of his father, he was no longer naive enough to look for praise from anyone.

A month had passed when Gaara was told of the Chuunin exams taking place in Konohagakure. His father informed him and his siblings of the ambush that was to take place and Gaara's role in it. Extra care was taken in monitoring Gaara so everything would go as planned. He was watched day and night so he was unable to visit the girl. As a result, his mood was colder than it had been since his nightly visits began. On the night before he left for Konohagakure, he was able to pay one last visit to her. Her face immediately lit up as if she received a gift.

"You're back!" She immediately shifted over not expecting a reply.

"I will be gone for a few months." His words froze her. This was the first time he had said anything in her presence. His low voice could send chills down a back.

"Why?" she whispered.

Gaara was not going to answer but her face was quite crestfallen. "Chunin exam." She was not very familiar with what happened in these exams because her focus had been on taking over her family clinic but she did know they could be dangerous.

When he was about to leave, she stopped him. "Wait! Please tell me your name."

He was reluctant to tell her since he did not know how much she of his history she knew. In the end he took that risk, "Gaara."

"Gaara," she tried it out and asked for one more thing. "Please come back alive."

His heart thumped at her worry. Holding her words securely in his heart, he left.

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Hi, thanks for reading my first fanfic (if you did). If you post a review, please be kind, rewind. Just kidding. I can't tell you what to do. If you did dislike it, please say why or all my stories will be the same. If there were any errors or something didn't make sense say what so I may fix it. I'm a little inconsistent with punctuation so commas and periods may be used inappropriately. Bad with summaries. Bad with titles. Bad with ratings. Suggestions welcome. I haven't read Naruto in a while so character(s) may be OOC. I'm too lazy to find the parts with Gaara. I have this as a oneshot right now but if I get enough interest I'll post a sequel or another chapter. This ending note is becoming as long as the chapter so I'll end it here. Thanks again for reading.


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